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The $899 Samsung WA52M7750AW top-load washing machine had so much promise when it first arrived at our office. It's a good size! It has a built-in sink! It looks nice for its midrange price!

My hopes were quickly dashed after seeing its performance scores; only the now-discontinued GE GTW860SPJMC did worse at removing stains. So for all of its fine features and reasonable cost, the WA52M7750AW just isn't a good value. Consider the $699 GE GTW685BSLWS or the $830 Kenmore 26132 instead.

Inside Samsung's WA52M7750AW

This Samsung washer, available in white or black stainless steel (for $999), looks nice for its price. It has a gray display panel with a small screen so you can see how much time is left on a cleaning cycle. It also has a transparent lid you can lift to access the built-in sink -- or lift the lid and sink together to access the washer below.

Note: The lid and the sink are held together by a tab at the front of the washer. Lift up on the tab to separate them and press the lid down to snap them back into place. Press the water jet button on the front of the washer to fill the sink.

Here's an overview of how the WA52M7750AW stacks up against some of its top-load competition:

Samsung's pricier WA52M7750AW has a larger capacity than either the GE GTW685BSLWS or the Kenmore 26132. It also has one less cleaning cycle than the GE washer and fewer smart integrations. The single smart integration the WA52M7750AW does have -- SmartCare -- is unnecessarily complicated.

SmartCare is a troubleshooting feature you access from the outdated-looking Samsung Smart Washer app. You're supposed to be able to scan the screen on the washer's display panel from the Smart Washer app to troubleshoot potential issues without having to call customer service. But just check out those screenshots below. The instructions on the second screenshot is particularly mind-boggling: "Turn the power off and on and the press the Smart Care button and hold for 3 seconds before 10 seconds is passed after turning the power on again." Huh?

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I did ultimately get SmartCare to work, but it isn't user-friendly.

Screenshot by Megan Wollerton/CNEt

I eventually got SmartCare up and running, but the process could have been much simpler. After scanning the display panel, the app gives you a diagnosis. There was nothing wrong with my test unit, so my scan didn't yield any results.

Performance

Here's a detailed overview of how we test washing machines. In short, though, we run fabric swatches covered in sebum (skin oil), carbon (mineral oil), pig's blood, cocoa (a mix of chocolate and milk) and aged red wine through three identical cleaning cycles (we use "fresh" stain swatches per run). After that, we calculate how much of the original stains are still on the fabric post-wash. The higher the percentage, the worst the washer did removing stains.

The WA52M7750AW got the second-worst stain removal grade to date, with 52 percent stains remaining (only beating out the GE GTW860SPJMC, which is no longer being manufactured). But it isn't alone; it actually tied the LG WM3575CV and the LG WT1801HVA. Take a peek at the graphic below to see how it compares to the similarly-priced top-loading GE GTW685BSLWS and Kenmore 26132.